Charles Anthony Boyd

Charles Anthony Boyd was born on August 17, 1959, in Dallas, Texas. Little is publicly known about his early upbringing. Prior to the murders, he was convicted of sexual assault and burglary, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison. He was released early in November 1985, after serving less than half of his sentence.

Following his release, Boyd secured a job as a janitor at a local bank. During mid-1986, from July to September, he lived with his brother at an apartment complex in North Dallas. It was during this period that the first of the murders took place.

The first known murder committed by Charles Boyd occurred on July 22, 1986. His victim, 37-year-old Tippawan Nakusan, a Thai immigrant and waitress, lived in the apartment above his. She was found stabbed and suffocated in her bathtub.

On September 15, 1986, 22-year-old Lashun Chappell was found dead by an apartment cleaning worker. She had been fatally stabbed in her bathroom. Both victims were killed in their bathrooms, prompting media and investigators to associate the cases as part of the “Bathroom Slayings.”

On April 13, 1987, Boyd's final known victim, 21-year-old Mary Milligan, was discovered by her roommate, Linda Williams. Milligan had been raped, strangled, and drowned in a bathtub in their shared apartment. Investigators noted that some of her belongings had been stolen, and her car, a 1982 Cadillac, was reported missing. It was later found abandoned.

Boyd was arrested the next day after attempting to pawn Milligan’s personal belongings. Forensic evidence, including blood and hair samples, linked him to the crime. Upon questioning, Boyd confessed to the murders of Nakusan and Chappell as well.

He was charged with three counts of capital murder, but prosecutors proceeded only with the Milligan case, which included physical evidence. His trial began in October 1987. Boyd’s defense argued that he was intellectually disabled, presenting an alleged IQ score of 67. Prosecutors countered this claim with prison records listing his IQ as 80. In November 1987, after just ten minutes of jury deliberation, Boyd was found guilty. The following month, he was sentenced to death.

On August 5, 1999, Boyd was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit in Texas. He declined to give a final statement before the procedure, but as the drugs were administered, he protested his innocence and claimed he had requested a delay for a DNA test. He was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m.